Pak prisoner attacked in Jammu jail, condition serious

Jammu: A Pakistani prisoner Sanaullah serving a life term was attacked inside the high-security Kot Balwal jail here by a fellow inmate this morning and his condition is stated to be serious, official sources said.

It was not immediately known whether the attack on the 52-year-old convict with a sharp weapon was a backlash against the death of Indian prisoner Sarabjit Singh in a hospital in Pakistan yesterday after being comatose for nearly a week following a brutal assault by fellow inmates in a high- security Lahore jail, officials said.

Official sources said the Kot Balwal jail superintendent Rajni Sehgal has been suspended by the Jammu and Kashmir government which also ordered a probe.

The sources said Sanaullah, a resident of Pakistan, was admitted in Government Medical College hospital in an unconscious condition with serious injuries on his head after being hit by a fellow inmate in the morning.

A case of assault was registered against Vinod Kumar, an ex-serviceman who is also serving a life term in the jail in the outskirts of Jammu. Kumar hails from Uttrakhand.

The sources said the health condition of Sanaullah was stated to be very critical as he was hit with a very sharp weapon. He may be shifted to Chandigarh's PGI for treatment as his Glasgow Coma Scale(GCS) was pretty low.

GCS is a scale for measuring level of consciousness, especially after a head injury, in which scoring is determined by three factors: amount of eye opening, verbal responsiveness, and motor responsiveness.

Sanaullah was arrested on April 1999 in connection with five cases related to terror activities. The attack occurred ahead of Sarabjit's funeral at his native village in Punjab.

Following the death of 49-year-old Sarabjit in Pakistan, Union Home Ministry had issued advisories to all states for maintaining high vigil in jails and ensure there was no attack on any Pakistani prisoner lodged there.

Excluding fishermen, there are about 220 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails. A similar number of Indians are lodged in Pakistani jails.

"A probe has been ordered into the incident (attack on the Pakistani prisoner). It is an unfortunate incident. The probe will be headed by the Principal Secretary, Home (Suresh Kumar)," Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Kitchloo told PTI.

"We have suspended jail superintendent (Rajni Sehgal) and other subordinate staff for negligence of duty," the minister said.

He said DGP (Prison) K Rajindra has been asked to immediately review the security of Pakistani prisoners in jails in the state and ensure their security.

Sanaullah was rushed to the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital for treatment where a senior doctor said the Pakistani prisoner is critical as he has severe head injuries and multiple fractures.